The Homer girls varsity basketball team celebrated its first win this year against Cordova by a score of 36-32 on Dec. 19 and split the weekend series with the Wolverines.

The first night the Lady Ms came out on the bottom, losing to Cordova 55-39.

"The first night our travel arrangements left us with really broken sleep. The game was pushed back until about 9:30 p.m. and having been up for more than 24 hours we were pretty spent. Eyes were already drooping in pregame," said Coach Deb Lowney.

Lowney said the Ms put Cordova to the free-throw line too many times trying to get back ball control. Though it can be an effective tactic, the maneuver fell apart with Cordova's strong free throw shooting and Cordova continued to pull away.

One bright spot for the Mariners on Friday came from Melissa Wood who scored 17 points.

The second night the Ms came back rejuvenated and ready to play.

"I think the girls played one of their best defensive halves in the first half of that game. We just attacked. We attacked them and we attacked the basket," said Lowney.

The Ms had a 30-10 lead going into the second half. Luckily, that lead proved big enough for the Ms as Cordova punished the Ms throughout the second half, scoring 22 to the Ms' 6.

"We talked about this after the game and they haven't been in the situation where they had to hold onto a lead. They didn't deal with that really well and we have to work on that in the future," said Lowney.

The Ms will have a chance to test what they've learned so far this season against a roster teeming with talent from past years at the Homer alumni game on Dec. 26 starting at 5 p.m. Spectators are asked to donate for admission, and usually donations are about $5.

Lowney said her squad looks forward to the challenge.

"There is a lot of talent coming back and I hope the high school kids can put together a good show and hold their own on the court. I know the energy in the gym is going to be really positive and we're really looking forward to it," said Lowney.